Photographer's Note

Rome - Baths of Caracalla

From Wikipedia:

The Baths of Caracalla (Italian: Terme di Caracalla) in Rome, were the second largest Roman public baths, or thermae, built in Rome between AD 212 and 216, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla. Chris Scarre provides a slightly longer construction period 211-217 AD. They would have had to install over 2,000 tons of material every day for six years in order to complete it in this time. Records show that the idea for the baths were drawn up by Septimius Severus, and merely completed or opened in the lifetime of Caracalla. This would allow for a longer construction timeframe. They are today a tourist attraction.

History
Emperor Caracalla had the complex built as a piece of political propaganda. Romans from every social class enjoyed themselves in the impressive, exquisitely detailed building. Not only did this create a sense of unity, it also improved the public’s opinion of Caracalla because they attributed their pleasurable experience and lavish surroundings to him.
The baths remained in use until the 6th century when the complex was taken by the Ostrogoths during the Gothic War, at which time the hydraulic installations were destroyed. The bath was free and open to the public. The building was heated by a hypocaust, a system of burning coal and wood underneath the ground to heat water provided by a dedicated aqueduct. It was in use up to the 19th century. The Aqua Marcia aqueduct by Caracalla was specifically built to serve the baths. It was most likely reconstructed by Garbrecht and Manderscheid to its current place.
In the 19th and early 20th century, the design of the baths was used as the inspiration for several modern structures, including St George's Hall in Liverpool and Pennsylvania Station in New York City. At the 1960 Summer Olympics, the venue hosted the gymnastics events.
The baths were the only archaeological site in Rome damaged by an earthquake near L'Aquila in 2009.
Baths were originally ornamented with high quality sculptures, for example, among the well-known pieces recovered from the Baths of Caracalla are the Farnese Bull and Farnese Hercules and over life-size early 3rd century patriotic figures (now in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples). One of many statues is the colossal 4 m statue of Asclepius.

Interior
The Caracalla bath complex of buildings was more a leisure centre than just a series of baths. The "baths" were the second to have a public library within the complex. Like other public libraries in Rome, there were two separate and equal sized rooms or buildings; one for Greek language texts and one for Latin language texts.
The baths consisted of a central frigidarium (cold room) measuring 55.7 by 24 metres (183x79 ft) under three groin vaults 32.9 metres (108 ft) high, a double pool tepidarium (medium), and a caldarium (hot room) 35 metres (115 ft) in diameter, as well as two palaestras (gyms where wrestling and boxing were practiced). The north end of the bath building contained a natatio or swimming pool. The natatio was roofless with bronze mirrors mounted overhead to direct sunlight into the pool area. The entire bath building was on a raised platform 6 metres (20 ft) high to allow for storage and furnaces under the building.
The libraries were located in exedrae on the east and west sides of the bath complex. The entire north wall of the complex was devoted to shops. The reservoirs on the south wall of the complex were fed with water from the Marcian Aqueduct.

Opera and concerts
The central part of the bath complex is the summer home of the Rome Opera company. It is also a concert venue, having achieved fame as the venue and backdrop for the first Three Tenors concert in 1990.

Visiting
The extensive ruins of the baths have become a popular tourist attraction. The baths are open to the public for an admission fee. Access is limited to certain areas to avoid damage to the mosaic floors, although such damage is already clearly visible. Also, a total of 22 well-preserved columns from the ruins are found in the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, taken there in the 12th century.

Hello dear Romano,
Another very nice capture from (again not much seen) parts of Rome with perfect pov and layout.
Very nice cloudy sky as background. Many interesting notes.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Hi Romano,
Excellent capture of this interesting ruins. Like your vertical frame and perfectly executed level of details. You' were lucky to take the scene under so quite charming lights. Well done! Like it!

Ciao,
You have so many marvelous places in Rome so you do not need to go anywhere. You can just go for a walk with a camera and then you have posts for months. I must always go somewhere far... Splendid view of the termes. How lovely are these daisies in the grass.

I never cease to be amazed by the skill and the creative capacity of the Romans! Their buildings have certainly stood the test of time.
I like how you have applied artistry, here, with good composition, varied textures and contrasts of light and shade, to make it more than just a historical ruin.

Ciao Romano
a perfectly executed and composed capture of these amazing baths. The ruins look so incredible from this POV and the light adds a real sense of past glories and a hint of drama too. Stunning!

Hello Romano,
the fascinating ruins of the Roman baths are captured in a lovely light and from just the right view point to illustrate their many interesting architectural features,the sky complements the image perfectly as do your comprehensive notes. Fabulous.
Kindest regards Les.

Hello Romano,
The imposing ruins are seen with the light clouds as a fine backdrop. They are well lit and the rough texture of the stones is well captured thanks to the good sharpness. It's a straightforward and very efficient composition with excellent colours.
Kind regards,
Gert

Good morning my dear friend
At first many wishes for the first of May
the beginning of the new month into
the springs heart
then thanks for sharing such a beautiful
shot with us with so many interesting
and useful details
a shot with a great combination of
Nature details in the foreground and
ancient historical details
regards
Costantino

Ciao Romano,
very impressive place, beautiful presentation in a great light with pleasant natural colors. I like the subtle touch of the clouds in the sky as well. There seems to be a nice play of light and shadow here.
Beautiful work!
Have a great weekend,
M

Hello Romano,
From your chosen angle and in the vertical format the Terme di Caracalla absolutely look very impressive.
Good alternation of light and shadow.
The digaonal lines of clouds contribute for a good composition and make a wonderful backdrop.
Best regards, Paul